Green With Envy
by OldStory
Summary: Since they were children, Loki has wanted to be seen as Thor's equal. So when Thor suggests a contest to see who the stronger brother is, Loki is more than happy to oblige. However, when Loki gets injured during the game, it causes his family to contemplate Loki's place in the Asgaridian home. Has he ever truly belonged? Kid Loki and kid Thor fluff.
1. Chapter 1

Thor was in the middle of a fierce, gruesome battle…or at least the little warrior thought this to be true in his mind. Eight year old Thor flung his wooden sword all around, pretending to be his father and slay all the frost giants within the realm. The sun began to set low in the Asgard sky, so his friends began to hurry home. Thor let out an over dramatic battle cry.

"Brother, did you see me! Surely there is _no_ warrior stronger or braver than I!" Thor yelled this across the courtyard, boastingly at his little brother. Loki sat under his mother's tall apple tree. He looked up from his book, and tossed an unamused expression at his older brother.

"Why do you not want to battle with us?" Thor questioned, with a slight hurt tone in his voice. Then playfully, Thor snatched Loki's book from his grip.

"Give that back!" Loki cried. He jumped as high as he could for the book, but Thor teasingly held it out of his reach.

Thor flipped absentmindedly through the stories of magic and spells. "Why do you waste your time with reading , brother? You should be learning to fight like a warrior." Thor handed the book back to his brother after seeing how upset he was.

Loki held the book close to his chest. "You may think you are stronger, but I am far smarter than you" Loki huffed.

"That's not true" Thor stated.

"Yes it is!"

"No it is not!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Enough!" Thor yelled. "I suppose some of us do battle and others just do magic tricks. Physically, I will always be superior to you."

"Well, that is only because you are older than me. When I am as old as you, I shall be just as big and strong!" Loki said, and puffed out his chest.

"Please brother, I was twice your size when I was your age."

Loki looked down at his feet. He knew this to be true but did not want to confess it. He has always looked up to his brother; he wanted to be just like him. His equal. However, Loki constantly felt he was being pushed into Thor's shadow. He wanted to prove to Thor he was no different than him.

"Hmmm what do you think about a challenge then Loki?" Thor looked up at the apple tree. "Whoever can climb to the highest apple and bring it down will be claimed the strongest."

"Fine" Loki said. This was surely something he could do, right? Sounded easy enough. If Thor could do it, so can he.

"Let the challenge begin brother! May the fiercest warrior rise victorious!" Thor smiled as he climbed the tree quickly. He snatched one of the highest apples with ease and made his way down. For a young age, his muscles were quite large. They carried his body swiftly back to the safely of the ground.

Thor tossed the green apple into the air and caught it. "Your turn Loki!" Thor gleamed.

Loki took a timid step towards the tree that seemed to tower over his small fragile body. He felt like he was an ant in front of a boot. He gulped. Loki was scared of falling, but he could not let Thor think he was better than him. So slowly, Loki made his way up the tree.

Unlike Thor who simply charged into battles with brute force, Loki enjoyed taking his time. He calculated every move, seeking out the most logical why to beat his opponent. Steadily Loki scaled the tree. Testing each branch to be sure it was study before he stepped onto it.

The sun sunk lower in the dimly lit sky as the many moons of Asgard began to appear. Faint stars came out to greet the darkness. Loki however did not have time to appreciate the scenery. He was a warrior on a mission. All his focus was put onto climbing. The horrible thought of being ridiculed as _Thor's weaker sibling, _drove him to push on.

Loki let out a sigh of relief once he reached the branch where Thor had taken his apple. This was surely not as bad as Loki thought! He could easily go higherthan this! If he took a green apple at the very top, it would prove that not only was he as strong as Thor but _stronger_. Loki continued, weighing his options as he went along. Surely this was annoying his impatient brother who stood down below. That made Loki grin.

Loki plucked the highest green apple and held it above his head proudly.

"Do not get full of yourself yet brother. You still must make it down with the apple intact before you are claimed the winner." Thor stated matter-of-factly from the ground.

Oops…Loki made the poor decision of looking down. He felt a wave of dizziness hit him immediately. His brave façade began to diminish. Still he would not allow himself to appear weak, so he sucked up his fear of falling and hurried down. However, he still had quite a ways to go. Loki wanted this nightmare over with. Now. His heart persisted on beating like a drum and his hands trembled with every move he made. Instead of thinking, Loki went as fast as he could just to get it over with.

What if he were to fall? Plummeting down down down, the pain of landing would surely be excruciating. Not as painful as Thor's satisfaction of being right though. Loki without a doubt in his mind believed Thor would seize that opportunity to make fun of him some more and rave how he would always be stronger, always be the better child.

Thoughts of envy towards his brother distracted Loki from calculating his steps on the branches and soon enough, Loki lost his balance.

It all happened too fast. It was truly all a hazy blur. The tree's branch snapped beneath him and Loki helplessly he lost his grip. Within seconds, he was heading straight for the dirt stained ground. Twigs cruelly scratched his soft skin as his small body flew downward. The little warrior landed with a hard thud on the courtyard floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Everything hurt. Loki fought to keep his eyes open but it was not use. Sensations of pain ran though Loki's veins as his world began to turn dark faster than the night sky.

"Brother!" Thor cried and ran to Loki's limp body. He knelt down beside him. The challenge was just suppose to be a bit of fun….

"Are you alright?" Thor questioned nervously. He placed a caring hand upon Loki's forehead. It was obvious that things were not ok. Loki let out a moan. "You will be fine" Thor assured. "I will take you in to the healers, they will fix everything." Thor delicately lifted Loki into his arms. He felt limp like a ragdoll. Loki snuggled his head into Thor's chest, and again cried out in pain.

It was clear to Thor that Loki must have broken his arm in the fall, along with some other minor bruises. Suddenly, to Thors horror, Loki's injured arm began to turn blue. Thor had to hold his breath in order to not let out a scream of shock. He did not want to scare his brother even more.

As Thor rushed Loki home, he felt tears surface in his eyes.

"Guards!" Thor cried aloud. "Guards! Anyone, come quick!" Thor frantically looked around their palace but not a soul was to be seen. Panic hit Thor like a tidal wave. Unsure of what to do, he began sprinting towards his mother's room. He clung onto Loki tighter as he ran.

Loki snuggled his aching head deeper into Thor's chest. The steady beat of his heart echoed in his ear. There was something about the sound that comforted Loki in his state of pain. He was unable to fully comprehend the situation that he was in. The world around him was an ocean of darkness. Sensations of pain that triggered from his broken arm spread to the rest of his body like a ripple effect. Slowly, he felt his body be submerged deeper and deeper into the pain. However, the constant beat of his brother's heart reminded him that he was safe. He had someone to protect him, to pull him out of the waters.

"Mother!" Thor screamed as he entered her room. Frigga was adjusting her hair in the mirror when her son's alarmed tone of voice made her spin around. "Oh my gods…" She muttered as she walked toward her two sons. She knelt down and gently took Loki away from Thor's shaky embrace. She cradled him in her arms and assured Thor that everything will alright. Then, Frigga noticed Loki's arm, which continued to turn into a more vibrant shade of blue. Odin walked through the door to see what all the commotion was about.

"I must get Loki to the healers immediately" Frigga attempted to say in a calm voice but there was no mistaking the shaking within it. Odin nodded his head. Frigga rushed out of the room with Loki in her warm embrace. Odin was going to follow until he heard Thor's whimper from behind.

"Everything is _not_ ok." Thor said with tears streaming down his face.

Odin looked down at his son with concern. "Of course it will be." He stated. "Now why don't you tell me what happened."

Thor tried to grasp a train of thought, but he was in full panic mood. He words came out too fast and incomprehendable due to his crying. " I-I just wanted Loki to play with me and he fell off the tree…all my fault cause I pushed him to do it _my fault_…and I'm the older one, I should watch out for him but I didn't and now his arm is turning blue. How could you say it's ok?"

Odin sat Thor on top of the bed and scooted beside him. "Listen, you need to slow down Thor. I swear to you, everything will be alright"

"How could you say that!" Thor sputtered with disbelief. "His arm is **BLUE**. Everything is wrong, he got hurt bad. He's not gonna die is he?" Thor looked up with wide eyes at his father.

Odin was not one for comfort. Frigga usually dealt with the emotional aspects. There was no doubt he loved his sons though, especially Thor. He did not always understand Loki's love for magic and the dark arts. He found it hard to connect with his rather quite child. However, he saw much of himself in Thor. Such a good heart lied within him. Surely he is a strong warrior in the making, and a wise one at that (minus the arrogance) He thought Thor was born to be a king.

Suddenly, Odin saw this moment as an opportunity to teach Thor an important lesson for a future ruler. A great king cannot be egotistical when he has an entire army to look out for. Thor had to be taught to look after his younger brother. The trait of compassion would be beneficial later on in life.

"Thor, you love your brother, don't you?"

Thor shook his head, which by now was drenched in tears, up and down rapidly. "Of course."

"And you would never want anything bad to happen to him, correct?"

Thor sniffed his stuffy noise "Correct."

"Now I am going to tell you a story and you must pay very close attention."

Thor bobbed his head up and down.

"In the aftermath of the war against the frost giants, I went into one of the temples."

"I know this story." Interrupted Thor. "This was in the Jotunheim realm, where you made the truce with Laufey." Thor said unaware of its importance.

"Please do not interrupt me." Odin told his son. Thor sulked down "ok"

Odin continued, "Inside of the temple I found a baby. Abandoned in the cold, left to die. He was innocent, so I brought him home. Your mother and I made the decided to raise him as our own. To raise him as your brother. A spell was placed upon him as an infant so that he may look like one of us. Loki having broken his arm must have weakened the spell." Odin stopped to see how Thor was handling the news.

"Do you understand? Loki is still your brother, just not by blood."

"….That's why he turned blue? He was turning back into a frost giant?"

"Yes, but Frigga will have that fixed before Loki even notices. We do not want Loki to know of his true parentages so that he may never feel different. Can you keep this a secret to protect your brother?"

At a loss for words, Thor looked down at his feet.


	3. Chapter 3

Odin walked out of the room with his head held high. Telling Thor about his younger brother's past would surely give the future King more compassion towards others; for the thrown would only suit him ill if Thor stuck to his arrogant nature. Odin continued walking in the direction of the healers' chambers.

As he entered the room, his gaze fell upon his wife gently stroking Loki's thin black hair. Loki lied unconscious on top of the bed. His skin was paler than usual, and rings had formed under his eyelids. The healers around him and Frigga began putting away the bottles of potions used to cure Loki's arm. As they walked past the Allfather, they kindly assured him that Loki had a few bumps and bruises, possibly a concussion, but nothing serious.

Once they were gone, Frigga turned to Odin, now holding her sons hand.

"I placed a stronger enchantment on Loki before the healers got to him. Hopefully an incident like this won't happen again" She sighed. If people were to find out that Loki was truly a frost giant...she did not even want to imagine the horror. He would be harassed by other childeren. Mocked. Would people of Asgard want to take him away from her?

Odin sat beside his wife. He began to remember when he first brought Loki home….

* * *

_Thunder echoed throughout the realm eternal. Battle cries of warriors who had returned alive from the Jotunheim matched the thunders painful howl. Rain poured down in sheets, washing the blood from their skin._

_It was dark within Frigga's bedroom besides for a few candles scattered about. Frigga watched her first born sleep surprisingly peacefully in his crib. The sound of a storm always seemed to soothe the boy. _

_Suddenly, the bed room door swung open as Odin entered, dripping in sweat, blood, and rain. He held a small infant in his arms. He squirmed and let out shrill cries that made Thor awaken and stir in his crib. _

"_Oh my gods!" Frantically, Frigga ran toward her husband. "Are – Are you alright?" She looked down at the baby. "The poor thing…"_

_Odin handed the baby to her, breathing hard. "I found him in the after math of the battle." Frigga took the child into her arms. "Shhhhhh" she soothed, bouncing the baby up and down. "It's okay, you safe now." She said sweetly as she attempted to quite the crying baby. Concern and sorrow filled her worrisome eyes. _

"_Where in the realms did you find him?" She asked bewildered. _

_Odin paced up and down the room. "Jotunheim" He stated matter-a-factly. Frigga watched Odin, not quite understanding. _

"_I believe he is Laufey's son." Odin said trying to remain calm._

"_And you just took him!" Frigga yelled. _

"_See, I have a plan. To stop the suffering of our people. To prevent another war. We will keep this frost giant in Asgard, he shall learn to love this planet as his home. Then when the time is right, when he has reached adulthood, we will tell him of his true parentage so that he may take the thrown in the Jotunheim. Thus, creating an alliance between our realms." Odin waited for Frigga's reaction. _

"_Have you gone insane?" She pondered. "This is MADNESS!" _

"_No, no! Think about this. We can use him!" Odin persisted. _

"_And what do you plan on doing with him until you have use for him? Are you just going to lock him up?" Now Frigga was angry. She looked at the child still crying in her arms. She knows how monstrous the frost giants are. She had seen them kill people from her kingdom in cold blood. But she looked from Thor to the babe. _

_In this moment, she saw two innocent babies. One no more pure than the other. _

"_Locking him up is a possibility." Odin stated "However, we cannot have him hating our kind, that would destroy the purpose of the plan. Maybe uh maybe we could make a nice prison, you know? Have servants wait on him from the room an-"_

"_Enough with this nonsense!" Frigga huffed. _

"_Do not patronize me. I am trying to do the best by my kingdom."_

"_What you should have down is left the child in his home. You had no right to steal him. Have you ever thought that Laufey may return for his son?"_

"_He was abandoned left to die. Most likely due to his rather small size." There was silence between the two for a moment. Lightning illuminated the night, casting shadows within the room. _

"_We shall raise him" Frigga whispered rocking the boy in her arms._

"_What?" Odin asked shocked_

"_Well you obviously do not have a better idea… You are the one who made the decision the bring him here. To our home. He is an innocent child. Not some stolen relic you can just hide away. My humanity will not allow it."_

"_You dare raise a frost giant beside your own child?" Odin roared._

"_You're the one who wanted to him here. I say he is our responsibility. Maybe he shall be use to you when he is older, maybe he won't, but right now the poor thing needs someone to care for him."_

_Odin looked exhausted and strained. He slowly let out a sigh. "What would we even say to the people?"_

"_We shall tell them I wanted my second pregnancy a secret due to the war". She looked at the baby and gave a weak smile as he finally stopped screaming. "And we shall tell them that the birth of our new prince Loki shows how even though war brought death, new life shall bring the light back."_

* * *

"Good to hear the child will be alright." Odin stated, stood up, and walked towards the door.

"Do you love him?" Frigga asked still comforting a sleeping Loki.

Odin halted in his tracks. "What?"

"I asked, do you love your son Loki?"

"I love my home and it is my job to protect it. One day he may play a vital role in preventing a future war." And with that, Odin walked out the door.

**Author Note:** Do you want more scenes between Odin and Figga? Next chapter will be brother centric! Please review (:


End file.
